FLCL: The Retelling and The Return
by x-Brand-x
Summary: A retelling of Furi Kuri, including some never-before seen scenes, a few prequels, and the sequel built in!  Second Prequel up now.
1. Prequel 1: Tasuku's Departure

**PREQUEL 1**

**Tasuku's Departure**

(_Two years before first contact._)

The air tasted of dirt. A stagnant, filthy kind of sensation that left one with a bad taste in their mouth. A thick haze of dust and exhausted covered the ground, glowing with what little light the sun cast forward as it lowered on the horizon. It was an ethereal kind of sight. Like something exaggerated in a romance novel. In reality, the fog merely added to the melancholy of the situation at hand as a ten year old Naota Nandaba stood with his grandfather and older brother Tasuku.

The young Nao was struggling to fight back tears as the realization dawned on him; this was, most likely, the last time he'd see his older brother, his idol. As he looked over, he noted with irritance the scowl adorning Shigekuni's wrinkly face. _He shouldn't be here..._ The words echoed over and over in his brain until it was all he could think. His grandfather wasn't here to support Tasuku like he was, wasn't here to say goodbye. He was here to purely to make Tasuku feel as guilty as possible about his decision.

"Rngh... You know this was probably the last year we go to finals..."

Tasuku's cyan eyes rolled in their sockets. His annoyance could be felt for yards. "This again, ojii-san? We've already talked about this! You can be pissy all you want, but fact is this will be good for me. The team will do fine without me and you know it." His hand came up as he waved toward Naota. "Besides, you have Nao here. He's the real prodigy." The sincerity in his voice as he smiled at his little brother was almost enough to break Naota right there. His eyes slowly lowered to the ground as he tried to distract himself.

"Pheh. That kid may be good, but he has no drive! He only plays well for you!" An irritated growl rumbled in his grandfather's throat as Tasuku merely shrugged. "He'll grow out of it, Jiji..." Shigekuni didn't even bother arguing, instead mumbling a few doubtful obscenities under his breath.

As the sun finally set completely and the last of its light disappeared, the runway erupted in ultra-violet, blaring brighter than the hottest day in summer. A dull roar was heard as the engine of the private plane that was to take Tasuku to America to begin his new life and career kicked on. Silence fell between them as the plane pulled up a few yards before them. Maybe they believed the engine would drown their words. Wishful thinking at best.

Tasuku turned, his bat slung across his back and his duffel bag in his right hand. His light-brown hair, short as it was, flowed with the air, and with the light at his back and the fog on his heels, he glowed gloriously. Every bit the man his little brother wanted to be.

Naota's eyes remained glued to the ground as if counting pebbles with intense focus as his brother and his grandfather exchanged words. He couldn't hear them, didn't want to. Surely they were meaningless phrases and promises, "We'll miss you", "I'll write", "Keep in touch". Pointless lies...

After a long moment he approached Naota, placing his hand on his shoulder. Slowly his eyes rose, staring up at the older sibling with such intense despair and anger. How could he do this? How could he leave him all alone, the only person in his life that was a real adult, was really there for him, was everything he wasn't...

"You okay, kid?"

No response. Just the darting of eyes to the side, trying to avoid his powerful gaze as he fought back tears. The hand on Nao's shoulder squeezed softly, as a sympathetic chuckle escaped Tasuku's lips.

"Me neither, bro." Silence for a moment, and then: "Wanna come with?"

Naota's eyes grew wide and instantly looked back up. He was shocked, wishing so badly that it could happen. The tears flowed free down his cheeks at this point, and he sniffled. As much as he wanted it, it just simply wasn't possible. Another squeeze at his shoulder.

"Know what? Forget it." The words weren't harsh, even though they stung like a slap to the face. Nao knew he was teasing to lighten the mood, but now wasn't the time. "Cause you're still just a kid.

"Save it for next time."

The bat bag slung on his shoulder fell and he unzipped it, reaching in and grasping the black-rubber handle of the cherry red bat. The words 'Mabase Martians' were inked on, as well as his name on the opposite side. Gently he pressed the shaft to Naota's chest, and Nao's hands instinctually moved to hold it.

The metal was cold, so cold even in the blistering heat of the mid-summer night. His knuckles were turning white with how hard he was gripping the bat, growing harder as Tasuku picked up the bag. With one last silent nod at Shigekuni he turned, heading off toward the plane as they turned, heading back to the car. It was time to go home, back to the monotony his life, the irritating so-called 'grown-ups', and the expectations everyone held for him as his brother's replacement.

His dark blue eyes watched the plane as it took off, never leaving it until it disappeared into the night sky, and out of his life completely.


	2. Prequel 2: Atomsk's Escape

I must apologize for the length of time it's taken me to get this chapter out. I actually had it finished quite a few weeks ago, but I lost almost ALL internet access so I haven't been able to do much uploading. I'll start on the next chapter and get it uploaded as soon as I can!

Also: I HAS TWITTER. My handle is oxBrandxo. It's a little empty atm (no one's following me yet, lol), but eventually there will be stuff there :D

ONWARD AND FORWARD~!

...

PREQUEL 2

Atomsk's Escape

(_Two weeks before first contact._)

_Medical Mechanica Orbital Research Facility_

_Time: 0536_

_BREE BREE BREE BREE BREE. _Emergency lights flooded the halls as the alarm sounded, bathing the metal corridors in a flashing red glow. The PA screeched as the computerized voice spoke.

_ALERT: EXPLOSIONS DETECTED IN SECTION D - RESEARCH DEPARTMENT. ALL LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEMS FAILING. CRITICAL MALFUNCTIONS IN CONTAINMENT PODS TWO. THREE. SEVEN. NINE. TEN. AND TWELVE._

Groggily Erik, chief of security aboard the facility, sat up, an annoyed groan escaped his lips, transforming shortly into a yawn. "Mrrph... Dammit what now..." He stayed sitting in bed for a moment, debating whether or not to get up. As senior cheif, the facility was basically his. When he said jump, people jumped. And if they didn't, they stopped existing. Pure, and simple. So if he decided not to bother with the fuss and let the others deal with it, no one would question.

He'd worked for Medical Mechanica for twenty some years now. Done things for them he wouldn't tell his grandchildren about, horrible things that would haunt him the remainder of his days. All worth it, however. When you take care of a company like M.M., they take care of you too, tenfold.

The sixty-two year old had the retirement he'd always dreamed of; Living on a cushy station where he was the boss, enough money to take care of his family for a couple generations. Life was sweet for him.

Try as he might though, he couldn't shake the feeling that one of those pods sounded familiar, important. Like something he _would_ get in trouble for not checking out. "Probably jus' another experiment gone wrong. Fuckin' nerds-"

The PA cut him off once more. _ALERT: MASSIVE INCREASE IN N.O. LEVELS DETECTED IN CORRIDOR G24, HEADING NORTH. ESTIMATED LEVEL: OVER 236000._

Erik's eyes widened as an explosion shook the entire wing, roughly throwing him to the hard floor. He struggled to push himself up, cursing his age mentally as he moved over to his gun cabinet, swinging the doors open and grabbing his semi-automatic rifle (named Betty) and sliding one of his arms into his bullet-proof jacket.

Another explosion nearly tossed him once more, yet he remained standing, slipping the jacket on before charging out the door and heading toward the security center, which had been set up only a few halls away for his convenience.

"Wha's the situation?" he barked, still a little groggy.

"We've had multiple casualties... Over two dozen!" the woman at the interface reported, her voice shaky with fear. She was one of the few in the security force that was part of his own crew, and not part of an outsourced merc-band. "Mostly scientists, but we've had two squads of mercs go down as well..."

_Dammit... Worse than I thought..._ Whatever sleepiness had been leftover was gone now, and Erik was geared to take control. "Do we know what happened?"

"Yes sir... From the tapes it seems like Dana and her squad were trying to smuggle something off-station. Killed two scientists to get access to the restricted areas. They weren't prepared for it though, and when they released the safety protocols..." Her voice trailed off, the situation self-explanitory from there.

"God damn mercs... I told command I didn't want them on my station!" His fist slammed into the consol, causing the younger girl to jump in her seat. "Look at what they're 'necessary added security' has done now..." His other hand came up, grinding the bridge of his nose. "Okay. Things seem to be quiet, for now. We've gotten no reports of capture, so whatever it is it's still loose..."

"Um, sir..." the guard started, flinching visibly when his piercing gaze shifted up to her. "I... don't think capture is an option. We a-aren't equipped for it..."

"The hell do you mean?" It dawned on him that during the entire debrief she hadn't even told him what was loose. "Okay... What exactly are we dealing with here?" Her gaze dropped to the floor, an expression of pure hopelessness on her face. "It... It's Him, sir..."

In one moment, Erik's mind went from high-alert to panic-mode, the color instantly leaving his face. For the first time, he truely began to feel his age, every joint, muscle and cell inside him on fire as one word, the name of the end of his brilliant career and his life echoed through his mind:

_Atomsk..._

Erik wouldn't go down without a fight, however. He was a soldier after-all, and even if the situation was beyond hope, he would see to it that he tried his hardest to make it as difficult as possible for the enemy. With a long, deep exhale, he grasped the railing and spoke softly. "Eject all the escape pods, empty or not, and lock access to any ships still docked." A pause to take a breath, his next words filled with absolution. "And then initiate the station's self-destruct sequence."

The girl's eyes grew wide, and she stood up. "B-But sir! All the people on-board! Everyone will die!"

Merely a nod from Erik. "Atomsk's still on the station. Meaning His power hasn't come back enough for Him to make a jump and He's looking for an exit. I don't plan on giving Him one." He walked down the stairs, stepping up to her and placing a hand on her shoulder. "This momentary peace won't last. He'll start again. Even if we don't blow the station, everyone _will _die.

"I've briefed you on Atomsk before, haven't I?" A small nod as tears streaked down her cheeks. "Then you know. He is a living, breathing calamity. All life will end before Him if He gets loose. But right now He's weak. We saw to that. Right now He can be destroyed. For good."

Both hands placed on her shoulders, he shook her lightly, staring straight into her eyes, projecting such authority that she couldn't even bear to argue, only to sob. "We have the chance to stop Him. Fuck the scientists, fuck Medical Mechanica. It's just you and me kid." A small chuckle between her gasps. There was silence between them for a brief moment, before she pulled away, stepping back over to the consol.

Her fingers were a blur as the drifted all over the interface, initiating sequence after sequence. There was a brief rumbling as twenty little lights went of on the nearby display one after another. "P-Pods ejected, sir... Two were occupied by humanoid life..."

"That's good then. Someone survives afterall..."

She nodded in response, resuming her typing. The interface flashed a couple times before she paused once more. "And all ships are locked down. By the time anyone gets them operational again, the station will be gone."

And with that, she moved over to an adjacent wall, flipping two switches. The wall hissed steam before sliding up, revealing the critical mass interface. A gulp and a moment to gather her nerves, the code was put in, and the entire station was flooded in a red light.

The PA system hissed to life once more. _Alert: All personnel are to evacuate the station immediately. I repeat: All personnel are to evacuate the station immediately. Core reactor has reached critical levels. Self destruct sequence innitiated._

The young woman turned, leaning against the consol as tears streamed down her cheeks. "This is it, huh...?"

Erik smiled, walking over to her and wrapping his arm around her shoulder. "You did good, Kid." A small sigh escaped her lips as he moved away, grabbing his handgun off the consol. "W-What are you going to do?"

_Chk-chnk. _His gun was cocked, ready to fire. "I'm gonna go say hi to our escaped pal."

_- (One hour earlier...) -_

"Will ya hurry the fuck up, Jacob?" A big, burly man stood next to a smaller, mousy looking man, pulse rifle at the ready as the other fiddled with the wiring next to the sliding door as the rest of their squad waited, various guns at the ready. "Those explosions'll only distract 'em for a lil' while!"

"I'm working as fast as I can you Dutch bastard." was Jacob's response, grabbing the screwdriver from between his teeth and jamming it into the tech. "You think you can do it faster you're more than welcome to try."

The other man merely rolled his eyes, shifting his weapon. "Whatev'r. Just speed it up."

If Jacob's eyes could roll any further into the back of his skull, he didn't know. With one more twist of the screwdriver there was a beep as the access light on the panel went from red to green and the door slid open. "Open sesame, bitches!"

"About time..." said another of the group, a tall, dark skinned woman, as she stepped through the door. Her gun raised to her shoulder and with a couple squeezes of the trigger she downed two of the three scientists in the room. The third she forced into a corner, yelling. "Down! On the floor, now!"

He complied, wimpering quietly. "Give me your access key to the restricted experiment." As he hesitated, she shoved the barrel of her gun against his temple. "I just gunned down your pals. I'm not afraid to do the same to you. Now hand it over!"

Shakily his hand slid inside his lab-coat, withdrawing a small, black card. With a soft smile she pulled the trigger, splattering brainmatter all over the corner as she grabbed the card from his dying grip. "Much obliged~."

"Jezuz, Dana." spoke the dutchman, nudging one of the dead bodies with his boot. "Yer like a one woman army! That's sexy."

She scoffed, standing up straight. "I _am_ a one-woman army, Brent."

"Then what're we here fer?"

She smiled sweetly at him over her shoulder as she stepped up to the door, sliding the key in. "Cannon fodder~." A deep laugh echoed from the big man's gut. "Ye've been sayin' that fer years. An' yet we're still together."

"Don't remind me..." spoke Jacob from the back of the room, standing next to the cage they had prepared for their prize. He looked down at it wearily, a constant frown adorning his features. "You guys sure this'll hold Him...?"

Another chuckle from Brent. "It'll hold 'im tighter than a thirteen year old virgin, m'boy." A massive pat on Jacob's back almost sent him to the floor. "Christ, not an image I needed man..."

_Ho ho ho ho ho!_ the giant proceeded to laugh until he was blue in the face. Dana shook her head, tapping her heel as she waited for the door to open. "Damn security protocols..." A minute later the door finally slid open, an ominous dark-grey mist seeping from the pitch-black room.

All levity was sucked from the room, everyone becoming straight-faced and their grips on their guns tightening. "H... He's sedated, aye...?" Brent asked, his deep voice merely a whisper covered in fear.

Only Dana seemed to be keeping her cool, her voice calm and steady. "No. He's weakened, but fully conscious." She raised her rifle, flipping on the flashlight as she sweeped it across the room. Even at full-blare, it only penetrated the darkness a couple feet in. "Wait here..." The others watched as she slowly sunk into the darkness, staying put as commanded. A couple minutes passed. Then a couple more.

Jacob shifted in his spot, clearing his throat before calling out. "U-Um... D-Dana, you okay in there...?"

A moment more of silence before she responded. "Yeah, I'm fine. I don't see anything though... Nothing's in he-"

Suddenly she was cut off as a loud shriek escaped the darkness, causing it to visibly shift. Everyone jumped, raising their guns and aiming into the cage. There was a loud scream from Dana, multiple shots fired, and then a thud before things went silent.

Jacob was the first to step forward, his barrel shaking madly. His knuckles were turning white from the strength of his grip. "Dana…? Speak to me Dana…" There was a gurgle followed by a light scraping sound in response, causing Jacob to jump forward. He was halted by Brent's grip on his arm. "Brent! Let go! She's in there!"

"Somethin' ain't right boy…" the older dutch responded quietly, signaling the other men to take point before raising his own gun. With a flick of a switch his flashlight came on and he shined it into the pin, sweeping it slowly back and forth. The scraping grew louder, as if something were being drug against the metal floor.

What emerged from the darkness could only be described as a pure horror. A mostly-shapeless mass, stepping forward on taloned feet. The seven-foot beast only loosely resembled a molting bird, its skin translucent and exposing all the muscle and internal organs and the whole thing dripping a black blood.

And hanging from its beak was the mangled remains of Dana's upper body.

At the sight Jacob screamed in anger and fright, yanking himself out of Brent's grasp and squeezing the trigger. His yells spooked the others, causing everyone but Brent to start firing at the mass. "Die you son of a bitch!"

"Jacob, stop!" Brent made a desperate grab for the arm of the younger man, only to get an elbow against his jaw, sending him to the floor. He looked up as Jacob stood over him, still firing at the beast. "No more capture! This thing DIES!"

The bullets flew, and yet each one that collided with the monster's skin merely sunk in. Brent watched in horror as the beast grew larger bit by bit. Pushing himself up he turned, taking a bullet to the shoulder as he threw himself through the other mercs, running as fast as he could toward the lab exit.

Screams came from behind him as the monster struck, tearing through the mercs like they were paper. Limbs and organs flew through the air, and as Brent ran through the hallway something collided with the back of his head, knocking him to the ground once more.

His vision went black, and for a brief moment, he wasn't in the hallway. He wasn't even on the station. He was floating, outside of space and time. Slowly he opened his eyes, and what he saw nearly made him weap.

The entire galaxy was on fire. Suns were exploding, planets were reduced to rubble. And at the center of it all, was Earth. Pristine, beautiful, shining out amidst the chaos.

He tried to reach out toward the planet, but found he couldn't move. Couldn't speak, couldn't hear. Could only watch as suddenly he was at the top of a skyscraper, watching as blood-red flames tore across the sky. Buildings began to uproot, people floating up to be engulfed. As he started to drift upwards, his eyes wandered across the horizon, and he took in the sight of the cause of the universe's destruction: The phoenix, reborn from the ashes. An embodiment of chaos, the calamity Himself...

_Atomsk._

The bird's eyes opened, firey red orbs glaring deep into Brent's. And suddenly he was back in the hallway. His eyes opened for real as he slowly pushed himself up, wincing slightly as a pain rung through his skull. The entire hallway was covered in blood and entrails, and he saw what had hit him.

Slowly he picked up the remains of Jared's head, scowling. "Gah dammit boy... Even in death..." He stood, tossing the head down the hall. "Yer still a pain in my ass..."

As he took a step he yelled out, an intense pain shooting through his right leg. At some point while he'd been unconscious his knee had been shattered, and he could barely put pressure on it without it hurting. "God dammit..." How long had he even been out? Long enough for the situation to go public, as the alarms were going off.

Gritting his teeth he pushed forward, limping down the bloodied hallway as fast as he could. More and more bodies strewn on the floor in various states of dismemberment, and he could hear gunfire and screams. Atomsk was no doubt fully awake and angry.

Brent didn't have much time. He moved faster, ignoring his pain as he all but ran toward the escape pods. All were primed for launch, and as he watched the farthest pod sealed itself before firing. The others were following quickly

"Shit shit shiiiit!" He hobbled foward toward the nearest pod, throwing himself in barely in time as the doors sealed shut behind him and the ship was fired off, throwing him against the wall. His head collided with the bulkhead, blood dripping down his neck from the wound. But it didn't matter.

He was safe... Slowly he leaned up against the wall, picking up the reciever of the radio. He dialed in a few numbers, pressing it to his ear. A soft voice spoke to him, and he smiled.

"The beast was released. Mission accomplished." He looked out the window, watching as the station imploded, debris flying everywhere. His smile widened as he closed his eyes. "Now get me the fuck outta here..."

- (?) -

More and more of the pathetic sapients threw themselves at me. And each one fell, tore apart, killed by richochet. Most, I pulled into myself. As disgusting as they are, I need them, need to fully awaken...

An elder stood before me, his weapon aimed at my head. A waste of time...

Wait. I've seen this one before. He's the one who put me here... One of the few homosapiens that had the gift. My gift, the only way to counter my power. He was older now, and so, weaker. If it was long ago, he'd have fallen easily to my might.

But I was weak as well. His bullets harmed me, dug into my flesh instead of being absorbed. It was an odd feeling, this pain... I moved, as fast as I could, away from his attacks. Down corridor after corridor, snuffing out more and more life as I went.

Until finally, a dead end. A room, filled with various mechanical devices. I was stuck, and I could hear the human following a couple hallways behind.

I'm certain that this time, he wouldn't just leave me alive. My options appeared very limited...

However... Something in the corner caught my eye. It looked like a mechanical man, nearly eight feet tall. And eminating from the core in the back of its head...

It seemed as though they'd figured out a fraction of my abilities. Perhaps I could use it to boost my own...? I didn't have time to ponder as the door behind me was thrown open. "I've got you now, Atomsk!"

Insignifigant, primitive monkey... I pressed my beak to the flat surface of its face, and I could feel the connection. It was stronger than I was, and it pulled me in almost instantly.

The place it took me... I was inside the thing. Could feel it as if it and I were the same. Our powers were merged. So many new sensations, my mind couldn't process what was going on. All I could focus on was the danger, and I spoke. _Go._

The air around me began to warp, a familiar feeling... The mechanical arm rose, grabbing the warp and pulling us into it.

And suddenly I was soaring through the black abyss of negative overature. Still I couldn't focus... The power I had could only send me here. I couldn't point myself to any specific location as I used to be able to...

I would need a focal point. A nearby source of power to attatch to and manipulate. But in this galaxy it could take me years to find...


End file.
